The present invention relates to a conveyor assembly for use in a sanitary application. More specifically, the present invention relates to a corner section for a sanitary conveyor assembly in which the corner section includes stainless steel side frame members and conveyor belt support slide bars and wear strips for supporting both the upper and lower runs of the conveyor belt that can be removed without the use of tools.
Presently, conveyors used in the food processing industry must meet strict standards regarding the construction of the conveyor to avoid areas on the conveyor in which water or food product can collect. In most applications, the conveyor frame assembly is formed from a stainless steel material such that the frame assembly can be easily washed and sanitized to avoid the development of harmful bacteria.
In a typical conveyor assembly, the continuous length of conveyor includes straight conveyor sections and curved sections such that the continuous run of the conveyor belt can travel along a desired path of transportation. Typically, both the curved corner sections and the straight conveyor sections include side rails formed from stainless steel. The stainless steel side rails are rolled into a smooth curve of the desired radius to form curved corner sections. Once the stainless steel side rails are rolled into to the desired radius of curvature, cross support members are positioned between the side rails to form the rigid, corner frame.
Although prior art conveyor frame assemblies function relatively well in a sanitary environment, the wash down of the conveyor frame section typically requires the time consuming disassembly of the conveyor frame assembly prior to wash down. For example, the guide rails and the belt support strips must be removed from the conveyor frame assembly prior to wash down. In addition, if the conveyor belt needs to be removed from the conveyor assembly, various guide members and retaining clips must be removed before the conveyor belt can be removed from the conveyor frame. The amount of time required to wash down the conveyor section disables the conveyor, thereby reducing the operating time of the food processing system.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a conveyor corner assembly that eliminates the need for separate tools to disassemble the conveyor frame prior to wash down yet provides the required physical structure to allow the corner section to work properly. A further need exists for a corner section that has a visually pleasing appearance without any visible weld lines.